Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon (风花雪月) 2-Skiing at Kirkwood, last trip of the season

H and I left Bay area at 5:30am for what turned out to be the last ski trip of the 2007-2008 season. The cold spell that we experienced at Antelope Valley was affecting Kirkwood too. We were dressed more for winter skiing than spring skiing:(

I rented ski boots from Kirkwood and borrowed a set of high performance skis from H, since the Ski Renter closed early on Friday. Then, we followed our usual routine of heading up chair #5 and doing a warm up run on Mokelumme. The snow felt a little icy in the morning, probably from melting snow freezing overnight. I was also getting used to a different set of skis. I did not get the usual carving of snow and the first run felt out of control.

I encouraged H to go up chair #6 while I got used to the snow and the new skis. I went back to skiing on lower Monte Wolfe and found that the high performance skis actually carved better, but do required a little more flexing compared to the rental skis. I did lower Monte Wolfe a few more times when H caught up with me and ask if I was ready for chair #11. She had been skiing chair #6 and felt that snow condition on black trail was actually better.

I was feeling better, so decided to joined her on chair #11. We went down Comestoga and I did feel the weather had warmed up slightly and snow condition on black trails was indeed better. H suggested skiing Wagon Trail, since it was a longer but less steep slope where I would have a chance to work on narrowing my stance. The wind was blowing hard enough that chair #5, the infamous "Wall", was not opened, so Wagon Trail was relatively desserted.

H alternate between chair #6 and chair #11, while I alternate between Wagon Trail and Comestoga, either working on technique or trying to get a little thrill:)

We broke for lunch at about 12:30pm, and resumed skiing at about 1:30pm. Sensing the day and maybe the season was coming to a close, we became very careful as both of us wanted to end the season without injuries. We skiied mostly on Wagon Trail.

H did one more run on chair #6 and joined me at 3:40p for our last run. She told me to ski freely and not worried about working on technique and I was given full authority on which trail to take. I was tempted to do Comestoga, but opted for Wagon Trail. It had been a long weekend, and I decided pushing myself on the last run of the season did not make sense.

On our ride up chair #5, we saw beginner skiers trying a wedge stop on Comestoga. Big mistake! He fell badly and was unable to stop himself even after falling for a good 10-15 feet. We were determine to avoid that fate:)

We came down Wagon Trail safely, just as the life closed sign was posted. No injuries for the season!

On our way back to the Bay area, H and I talked about the weekend. We had covered half the length of California, going from Bay area to Antelope Valley and back up North to Kirkwood. That's when H commented, "Wow, we saw wind, flower, snow and moon, all in one weekend!"

Wind, flower, snow and moon (风花雪月) is often used to describe romantic times together, which we did share, but we also enjoyed these four natural scenery. A nice word play that summed up the weekend perfectly.